From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Strother Martin, (March 26, 1919 - August 1, 1980) was an American character actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Martin excelled at swimming and diving, and served as a swimming instructor in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, Martin moved to Los Angeles and worked as a swimming instructor in films, eventually earning bit roles in a number of films. Martin's distinctive, reedy voice and menacing demeanor made him ideal for villainous roles in many of the best known Westerns of the 1960s and 1970s.
Martin died of a heart attack in 1980 at the age of 61.
